A sizeable crowd of South Sudan fans whooped it up outside the Smart Araneta to celebrate the Bright Stars’ historic win in their FIBA World Cup debut.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation that gained independence 12 years ago, had just put its name on the basketball map after beating Asian powerhouse China, 89-69, Monday night.
The energy of the South Sudanese supporters, which filled a section of the lower box howling and cheering for their team despite being dwarfed by Chinese fans, never diminished and when the final buzzer sounded exploded in joyous celebration.
“Oh, man! It’s so huge, so huge just for the players and the fans. The feeling is unbelievable, we all worked so hard. The fans, everybody shows support,” an elated Carlik Jones said.
The Chicago Bulls guard carried South Sudan with his hot shooting, dropping 21 points with six assists and two rebounds two days after putting up 35 markers and 11 dishes in a tough 96-101 overtime loss to Puerto Rico last Saturday.
This time there was no denying Jones and the rest of the Bright Stars, who shot 15-of-30 from the three-point area.
“It’s huge for the country, it’s huge for the fans. We’re just blessed to be here and we’re just grateful,” Jones added.
Former National Basketball Association star Luol Deng essentially started the South Sudan basketball program when he became president of the country’s fledgling sports federation back in 2019.
“Luol Deng is the heart and soul of all of this,” said South Sudan coach Royal Ivey, an assistant with the Houston Rockets.
“He’s the president. Without Luol I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. He had a great vision. I entrusted in his vision and it all came together. I’m in awe that I’m sitting here at the World Cup. I’m forever indebted to Luol for giving me an opportunity to coach this team.”
South Sudan is currently tied with Puerto Rico in Group B with a 1-1 win-loss record as the world No. 62 team remains in contention not only for a second-round seat but for a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics. They will face unbeaten Serbia on Wednesday.
It was a historic day for African basketball, as Ivory Coast also claimed its first-ever victory at the expense of Venezuela, 81-75, in Okinawa, Japan.
South Sudan, Ivory Coast and Angola are battling for the Summer Games berth reserved for the top-ranked African team.
